Swat Valley , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On October 9 , a Pakistani schoolgirl who dared to speak out against the Taliban took a bullet to the head for her act of defiance .

Now , as Malala Yousufzai lies in a hospital bed in Birmingham , England , the shock and outrage among her countrymen have given way to a new sentiment : What will the government do about this ?

While the Pakistani news media debate how the country should respond to the attack , thousands of people nationwide have joined in rallies in support of the wounded 14-year-old .

Malala : Global symbol , but still just a kid

The shooting has prompted an unusually strong and united reaction of disgust and anger among many Pakistanis , analysts say .

`` There is a groundswell of sympathy for her and also a very strong demand for the Pakistani state to do something about this issue , '' said Raza Rumi , director of policy and programs at the Jinnah Institute , a Pakistani research organization .

Much of the discontent is directed toward the Pakistani Taliban , the extremist group that has claimed responsibility for the shooting and said it will seek to kill Malala if she recovers from her injuries .

`` This has created a very bad feeling for the Taliban , '' said Saleem Khan , an executive with a paper manufacturing company in the city of Lahore .

Khan said he was `` crying and weeping '' after hearing of the attack on Malala , who had defied extremists in the northwestern Swat Valley by insisting on the right of girls to go to school .

Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar , the first woman to hold that job , said Sunday that she thinks the shooting marked a `` turning point '' in the ferocity of how Pakistan goes after Taliban offenders and extremist groups .

`` Pakistan , at the diplomatic , political and every level , has been asking ... to take this matter seriously , to not let them -LRB- the Taliban -RRB- have a safe haven , '' she said .

Meanwhile , police in Birmingham said `` two well-wishers '' were stopped when they came to the hospital overnight wanting to see the girl . No arrests were made , contrary to earlier reports from the hospital .

Hospital director Dave Rosser said the intruders were `` probably people being over-curious , '' but he added that the hospital is taking no chances and that tight security is in place .

Standing with Malala : Teen inspires others to fight for education

At a rally organized by the powerful MQM political party in Karachi , thousands of people gathered , some waving flags and banners with messages of support for Malala . `` Our prayers are with you , '' read one . Another said , `` Malala -- -LRB- an -RRB- attack on you is an attack on education and progress . ''

Social activist Saman Jafery said : `` If Taliban is a mindset , then Malala is a mindset , too . It 's a mindset of educated and empowered women . ''

Another of those at the rally , Haider Rizvi , said people `` do n't want the Taliban anymore in Pakistan , and after the Malala incident , it is time for people to stand up . ''

`` The message is right here ... all these people . They are condemning the act of the Taliban , '' added student Ashwar Waqi .

The Taliban , who operate in northwestern Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan , have fallen foul of Pakistani public opinion in the past , notably in 2009 , when a video emerged of the flogging of a teenage girl in the Swat Valley .

The video provoked appalled reactions in Pakistan at the time , but `` the scale of protests for Malala are bigger , '' said the Jinnah Institute 's Rumi . `` Even the right-wing mainstream media have expressed outrage . ''

The Taliban became increasingly unpopular among Pakistanis in 2009 as the military carried out an offensive against members of the group in northwestern areas .

But the military operations failed to root them out altogether , and their continued influence in the region was demonstrated last week by the gun attack on Malala and two other girls as they were being driven home from school . The two other girls were less severely wounded than Malala .

Opinion : One girl 's courage in the face of Taliban cowardice

One of them , Kainat Ahmed , is being treated locally . She said she was so scared after the attack on the bus in which they traveled that she could n't sleep for two days . The 16-year-old girl is in the 10th grade .

But despite the injury to her arm and the terror of the attack , Ahmed said she does not regret studying and hopes to continue .

`` Girls ' education here is more important than boys ' because boys can have any jobs they want to but girls can not , '' she said . `` I want to tell all the girls to continue their mission to get an education . ''

Interior Minister Rehman Malik , visiting the three girls ' school in the town of Mingora on Tuesday , said the name would be changed from `` Khushal Public School '' to `` Malala Public High School . ''

A task force will be established to protect all girls ' schools in the region that are under threat of militants , he told reporters .

`` I am not only grieved , the whole nation is grieved , '' he said . The hunt for those responsible has made `` considerable progress , '' Malik added , although he gave few details of the investigation .

Authorities have forensic evidence , Malik said .

Police Chief Gul Afzal Afridi of the Swat District said that 60 suspects are being detained , interrogated or investigated .

`` We have sufficient evidence to find the culprits , '' the chief said . `` Soon we will catch them . ''

Politicians and commentators in Pakistan have slammed the attack . But the condemnation of the Taliban has not been as universal .

`` Everybody was angry that it happened , but not everybody was angry with the Taliban , '' said Tazeen Javed , an Islamabad-based communications consultant who writes for The Express Tribune newspaper .

The cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan , who visited Malala in a hospital in Peshawar last week , has drawn criticism for not condemning the Taliban outright for the attack .

Khan `` showed a lot of concern but could n't resist bringing in the issue of the drone strikes as a cause for this attack , which was a bit of a deflection , '' said Rumi , referring to the drone attacks carried out by the United States in northwestern Pakistan that have generated resentment in the country .

Certain commentators have also begun to question the official version of events , suggesting that the attack on Malala may be used as a pretext by the government for military action against the Taliban in the restive tribal region of North Waziristan .

Gordon Brown : Millions face Malala 's fight

`` The Malala incident is the CIA 's latest attempt to divide public opinion and incite conflict in Pakistani society , '' Haider Mehdi , a contributor to the Pakistani daily The Nation , wrote in a column Tuesday .

As the controversy about the attack rages in Pakistan , the doctors treating Malala thousands of miles away said they are `` very pleased '' with her progress and optimistic that she will make a good recovery .

However , she faces reconstructive surgery and there is `` still a long way to go , '' said Rosser , of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham .

Her family is not yet in England to be by her bedside , but the Pakistani high commissioner is making arrangements on that front , he said .

In the meantime , the 14-year-old appears to be `` every bit as strong as we had been led to believe , '' Rosser said , adding that the consultant leading her care `` is impressed by her resilience and her strength . ''

Reza Sayah reported from Swat Valley and Jethro Mullen from Hong Kong . CNN 's Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report .

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NEW : `` We have sufficient evidence to find the culprits , '' police chief says

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Injured schoolmate : `` I want to tell all the girls to continue their mission to get an education , ''

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Malala Yousufzai is hospitalized in England a week after the Taliban attack on her

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Pakistan 's interior minister says the 14-year-old 's school will be named after her